For Accepted SPARK Students

Information for Accepted Students

Congratulations on your acceptance to SPARK!

A Note to Parents

Brown's SPARK program is a unique opportunity for bright, motivated young people to practice managing their daily lives in a supervised and encouraging environment.

Each day, students participate in classes, co-curricular and recreational activities. While our trained staff of Residential Advisors will supervise activities and residence hall life, we would also like to emphasize that students must accept responsibility for their own work and behavior. Please note that Residential Advisors do not dispense or remind students to take medications.

SPARK is an academic experience, designed to let bright young students meet their peers in a supportive, constructive, and fun environment. Students who are disruptive to that goal or do not possess the emotional maturity to take responsibility for their own actions may not be suitable for SPARK.

Students are expected to review our policies on our website. Behavior that is unsafe, disruptive and/or inappropriate will not be tolerated. Students are expected to abide by the policies and students who do not adhere to them may be dismissed from the program.

Forms for SPARK Students

Please visit www.brown.edu/summer/forms to review and download all required student forms.

Directions to Campus

View Larger Version of Map at Google Maps

Arriving on Campus

On your orientation day, you will want to arrive for check-in at the Main Green, which is at the corner of Brown and George Streets in Providence.

Providence is a medium-sized city easily accessible by car. For those flying in, TF Green Airport is a convenient single-terminal airport about a 15 minute drive from campus. Logan Airport in Boston is approximately 1 hour away.

Arrival by Car

On orientation days, Students find it convenient to leave their luggage in the car and walk to check-in. Once you are checked in, luggage may be brought directly to your residence hall.

From the North or South on Interstate 95: Take Exit 22 to Downtown Providence. Continue straight on Memorial Boulevard, turn left onto College Street at the fourth set of traffic lights. Halfway up the hill, turn right onto Benefit Street. Take your first left on George Street. Parking is limited so park wherever you can find space near the intersection of George Street and Brown Street (Magee Street, Benevolent Street, or Charlesfield Street).

From the East on Interstate 195: Take Exit 2 to South Main Street and continue for half a mile until the first set of traffic lights. Turn right onto College Street and then right onto Benefit Street. Take your first left on George Street. Park on any one of the following streets adjacent to George Street: Magee Street, Brown Street, Benevolent Street, or Charlesfield Street.

From the NorthWest: Follow Route 146 to I-95 South. Once on I-95 South, follow the directions above (from the north and south).

Arrival by Train

Providence is served by Amtrak and Boston's Commuter Rail. The train station is a short cab ride to the University.

Arrival by Bus

Providence is served by PeterPan bus lines. Their Providence terminals are a short cab ride to the University.

Arrival by Air - Providence TF Green Airport

T.F. Green International Airport (named for Theodore Francis Green, Brown class of 1887) is served by many national and regional airlines. The airport, which is in the city of Warwick, is approximately 10 miles from the University. A variety of ground transportation is available from the terminal to Providence.

Aero Airport Limousine (www.airporttaxiri.com or (401) 737-2868) shuttles are available.

Arrival by Air - Boston Logan Airport

If you are arriving via airplane at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts (www.massport.com) please take Bonanza Bus (www.bonanzabus.com or call 1-888-751-8800) to Providence (approximately a one hour and thirty minute ride).

Local Taxi Telephone Numbers

Airport Express (401) 521-4200
Arrow Cab Co. (401) 946-5333
Checker Cab (401) 944-2000 or 273-2222

Check-in and Orientation

Check-in for SPARK will be held in a building on the Main Green, at the corner of George and Brown Streets. Be sure to leave time to find on-street parking, which can be scarce on College Hill.

Sunday July 15th and 22th

Arrival: Sunday 9am - 1pm
Students are required to arrive on campus between 9am and 1pm on the Sunday before their program starts. Students will be directed to the check-in location where they will receive their residence hall room keys, Brown I.D. card, orientation schedule, and a campus information packet.

Early Arrivals
Although students should make every effort to plan their travel to Brown based on a Sunday arrival, procedures are in place to accommodate Saturday arrival for those students who are arriving from long distances and need to work around flight schedules. There is a $150 early arrival fee for students arriving on Saturday. Permission for early arrival must be requested and approved in advance of the program. If a student meets the early arrival criteria due to long-distance travel, please complete the online request form. SPARK students will be placed in their own rooms on Saturday night.

Campus Tours

Tours for students and their families will be given at 10am, 11am, and 12 noon.

Orientation

Orientation for residential and commuter students and their families is offered on Sunday after students check in. An orientation for parents only will be given at 1:30pm. Parents will have an opportunity to meet program staff and the professional live-in Residence Director. During this time, the Residential Advisors will meet with students separately and lead ice breaker activities and review program expectations.

Parents will have an opportunity to say goodbye to their students after the orientation session and should plan to depart campus by 2:30pm.
Commuter students are strongly encouraged to participate in all orientation activities. An orientation schedule will be available on our web site.

1:30pm - Orientation for Parents

3:00pm - Orientation for Students Only

Departure Schedule and Closing Day Events

Friday July 20th and 27th

Parents and students are invited to join instructors and staff for a closing event on Friday July 20th (Session 1EA) or Friday July 27th (Session 1EB and 2EA) at 2pm. (location to be announced). The closing event will highlight the work of SPARK students. Light refreshments will be served.

Schedule for Departure Fridays

2:00 - 3:00pm - Closing event (location to be announced) Light refreshments are provided

3:00 - 4:00pm - Students check out of the residence hall.

Extended housing is not available for SPARK students.

Students Attending Back-to-Back SPARK Sessions

Students who are attending consecutive SPARK sessions may stay in their original room assignment and eat in the dining halls. However, you may have a new roommate. Residential staff will plan activities for students staying over on the Saturday in between sessions.

What to Bring

Common Necessities

• Proper attire for laboratory-based classes (see below)
• Clothing: Shorts, T-shirts, pants, etc.
• one set of 'dress-up' clothes (dress is almost always informal, but you'll want to be ready if a special occasion occurs)
• sunscreen
• bathrobe
• comfortable walking shoes
• umbrella/raincoat
• Sheets for your twin, extra long size bed (36 by 80 inches, approximately 6 inches thick.)
• You may also wish to bring a mattress cover or pad
• A bedspread or comforter
• Your own pillow
• Towels and face cloths
• Alarm clock
• Desk lamp (Halogen lamps are not permitted in the residence halls)
• Clothes hangers
• Mug/drinking glass
• Water bottle
• Laundry bag and detergent
• Toothbrush, toiletries, soap
• Fan (Fans may be purchased or rented upon arrival)

Proper attire for laboratory-based classes

All SPARK students will work in laboratories during the course of the program, and must dress to meet established practices for lab attire. Closed toed shoes or sneakers and long pants are required in laboratories. Sandals, shorts, skirts or tank tops may NOT be worn in laboratories.

Optional Items

• Clothes iron
• Radio
• Recreation and sports equipment
• Beach equipment /sunglasses
• Laptop computer

Money

The cost of all program-related activities is covered by the comprehensive fee. However, students will need spending money for snacks & refreshments while on trips or on campus, toiletries, etc.

Students may use their Brown I.D. card to operate laundry and vending machines. You can add money to your Brown I.D. card in any Card Value Center (CVC) machine located on campus.

We advise adding money only in small increments, as unused funds are not refundable and cannot be used at the Brown Bookstore.

We leave it up to parents to decide if a student should have additional money during their stay. 

Personal Computers

Other than a laptop, computers are often too cumbersome to transport for such a short period of time. Residence halls at Brown are wireless and wired for access to the Brown network and the Internet. Students who have the appropriate computing equipment and can configure their own computers are welcome to use the network during the summer at no charge.

Because access to the network from the residence halls is not a supported service during the summer, the only assistance we can provide is written documentation called "Getting Connected on the Network." Access to the network via modem is not available. 

For those who do not bring a computer with them to campus, several computing clusters are available. They are equipped with PCs and Macs, printers, and scanners.

Contacting Your Student

The most reliable and convenient way to contact students is via a personal cell phone. Alternately, students can make long distance calls from a pay phone at their own expense. Pre-paid calling cards are sold at the Brown Bookstore. Please note that students spend the majority of their time in class and participating in extracurricular activities – during which cell phone use is prohibited.

For the safety of our students, visitors (including parents and family members) are not permitted to enter residence halls when the program is in session without the permission of the SPARK Residence Director.

Mail

Letters and packages for students should be addressed as follows: 
Student name
Brown University
c/o SPARK Program
Box 1864
Providence, RI 02912

Disability Support Services

Brown University offers equal educational opportunities and reasonable accommodations for the needs of qualified students with disabilities. Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, reinforced by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, maintains that no qualified individual with disabilities shall, solely on the basis of the disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity in higher education. For further information, please go to Student and Employee Accessibility Services on our web site. Notice of the need for accommodations must be made a minimum of six weeks prior to the start of classes to allow time to reserve the available support services. Please complete a Disability and Medical Accommodations Form.

Residence halls are not air conditioned and do not have elevators.  Students who have asthma, food allergies and other medical conditions should also fill out the Disability and Medical Accommodations Form so we may determine if an accommodation is necessary.  Upon receipt of a completed form, a representative of the Student and Employee Accessibility Services Office (SEAS) or Student Affairs will contact the student or parent to discuss accommodations or request medical documentation.

Policies

Specific policies apply to aspects of academic and residence life, including class attendance, plagiarism, curfew, quiet hours, and disruptive behavior. Students and their families are expected to review them and sign the Code of Conduct section of the acceptance forms. General policies may be reviewed in the Policy section of this site.

Contact Us

Brown University
Continuing Education
Box T
Providence, RI 02912
Phone: 401.863.7900
FAX: 401.863.3916
Email: summer@Brown.edu

Emergency Contact

If you have an emergency and need to contact your student immediately, please call the Brown Department of Public Safety at (401) 863-3322.